In a surprising move, a leader of Brooklyn's large, generally hawkish Syrian Jewish community has lambasted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for refusing to talk with Syria, as pressure built on multiple fronts on Washington and Jerusalem to dialogue with Damascus.
Jack Avital, a longtime confidante of Ariel Sharon and chairman of the Sephardic National Alliance, told The Jewish Week last week he planned to publish an open letter to Olmert laying out his case against Israel's rejection of such talks to the Syrian Jewish community.

Clara Baer was 19 when the Nazis invaded Budapest in 1944, bringing the Final Solution to Hungary. She joined her parents, devout Catholics, in rescuing Jews, giving them refuge in the family’s home and a nearby textile factory.
She was 81 when Israel honored her for her heroism last week.

The flag in the background with the sky-blue stripes and Magen David, now torn and battered and stained, once flew in Lower Manhattan.
The Israeli flag was among the banners of several nations that hung in the entrance of one of the World Trade Center buildings, representing countries that had commercial interests in the landmark skyscrapers.